Taking notes physically is different with digital notes

I’m someone who really likes everything to be organized. Especially after discovering Notion, I’ve been writing down almost everything there. I even open Notion every day to plan my daily schedule, so my days feel more structured—and to make sure I can hit simple goals today that lead to bigger goals in the future.

But my note-taking journey didn’t instantly jump to Notion. I tried many different approaches to figure out how I could keep taking notes and keep organizing my day without getting bored. So I tested everything and looked for what was most effective.

When we make notes, we often write in a notebook, or if we want something more practical, we do it digitally—on a phone or laptop using an app. But which one is actually more effective: taking notes with an app or using a physical notebook?

In this article I’ll share my perspective based on my experience using both methods. Let’s start with notebooks. As someone who tries to be proactive about productivity, I used to learn and look for ways to maximize one day with productive activities while still enjoying it. At first it was simple—just make a daily list of what I wanted to do.

So I bought a few notebooks, sticky notes, and other stationery, and I used them to create my daily lists. I was also inspired by some well-known YouTubers like Matt D’Avella, John Fish, Annas Nur Alii, and Kevin Chocs—people who are organized and maximize their resources to get better outcomes.

Long story short, I started writing in notebooks, and in my opinion there are a few pros and cons:

1. Writing in a notebook is simple and straightforward. But I realized something: starting is easier than staying consistent. Opening a notebook takes more effort—you have to grab a pen/pencil, get the notebook, open it, and write. Still, I feel that when you physically write things down, the percentage of actually following what you wrote is higher than when you take notes in an app.
2. Maintaining consistency with a notebook is harder than with an app. Like I said, in the beginning everything feels easy, but around day 10, 20, or 30, you start thinking: “Maybe skipping today is fine, I deserve a break,” and that’s when you start breaking the chain—skip one day, then two, and suddenly it’s been a week. Because we don’t open notebooks every day the way we open our phones. I’m pretty sure we open our phones way more often than we open a notebook.

From those two points, you can probably guess which side I’m on. Yes—I’m on the digital team.

I put everything I need to capture into digital notes: school and college notes, random needs, and my goals—from yearly goals down to daily goals.

The app is obviously Notion, but does using an app have any downsides? Of course—nothing is perfect.

1. The first downside is distraction. Who here has opened YouTube to learn from a tutorial, but ended up watching random recommended videos? Or watched your favorite YouTuber instead? Or opened a learning app and suddenly two hours disappeared on Instagram, Twitter, and the rest? See—sometimes the problem becomes twice as heavy compared to taking notes in a book.
2. But the advantage of apps is that we can sync our notes across multiple devices. For example, I use Notion for many things—from recording college assignments to my daily to-do list. If I’m out, maybe on the way somewhere or at a restaurant waiting for food, and I suddenly get an idea—something to write, something to build—I can open the same app and note it down immediately on my phone or tablet. And to stay on track outside and keep following my daily list, that’s also why I install Notion on my tablet and phone—it really is that easy to organize.

So which method is the most effective for you? Honestly, it depends on the person. You have to experience it yourself and figure out what’s most suitable for you—what fits your resources and your situation.

But if I had to recommend something, I’d suggest starting with an app. From my personal experience, starting with a notebook requires a fairly high level of proactiveness and initiative—otherwise, consistency becomes difficult. With an app, you only need to open your phone, laptop, or PC and open the app. It’s not as hard as a notebook.

So that’s my personal view on whether it’s better to take notes in a notebook or in an app. If you have a different perspective, feel free to comment below and we can discuss it further. That’s it for now—see you next time.

Have a good day & thank you!